Welcome, everyone, to the first Benchwarmer Report of the term, and the first of a special series: Birdwatch! During the unbearably long break since last issue, the Benchwarmer has kept a close eye on the local birds… and the bird feeder has been far busier than usual over the past little while, with the Toronto Blue Jays tearing up the American League.
On Saturday September 26, 2015, the Jays clinched their first playoff berth in 22 years. Following back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993, there’s been an interminably long drought. No more, Jays fans—the drought has ended, and it’s ended in style. Bounce-back starting pitching, a timely return from Marcus Stroman, exceptional hitting and great defense have made this team among the most feared in baseball.
With eight games left to play, the Jays have a four-game lead on division archrival, the New York Yankees. They are also just a game behind the Kansas City Royals for the American League lead.
The Jays will wrap up their season with one more game at home against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, before heading over to Baltimore for a 4-game set with the O’s. They will cap off the season at Tropicana field down in Tampa. The Yanks finish playing house with the Chicago White Sox Sunday, and host the Boston Red Sox for 4 games, finishing up with three games in Baltimore. The Royals have games against the Indians, Cubs (make-up game), White Sox and the wild-card chasing Minnesota Twins.
With the White Sox and Red Sox being nobodies, the Yanks will be chasing us right to the bitter end. Despite clinching, the Jays need to stay focused, particularly considering their struggles at Tropicana field. Whatever happens, it’s going to be right down to the wire. With that, let’s take a look at some potential first round scenarios:
Win the A.L
If the Jays win the A.L., they will face the winner of the one game wild card face-off. New York and Houston would square off if it was played today, but the Minnesota Twins and L.A. Angels are just a game and a half behind. Regardless, there is a fair chance the Yankees could win this one. A division series against the Yankees would be absolutely phenomenal—a very close matchup indeed, between two teams who know each other all too well. This series could go either way, and the Yankees certainly have substantially more postseason experience amongst them than the Jays. That being said, the Jays owned the Yankees this season, with a whopping 13-6 record against them this year. These could be good odds for the Jays to move on.
Win A.L. East, 2nd Overall in A.L.
In this more likely scenario, the Jays finish with the second-best overall record in the league. This lines them up for a date with the Texas Rangers in the division series. Though the Jays had the upper hand in the season series, winning 4 of 6 games played, the Rangers have an added attraction in the form of shiny new ace Cole Hamels. Between Hamels and Gallardo, that’s two difficult starters in a five-game series. Though Hamels has struggled a bit with Texas, look for him to bounce back in the playoffs. Nevertheless, the Jays can answer with some great starting pitching of their own, not to mention killer offense. The Jays have good odds to win this one, should it play out.
Play in Wild Card
By far the least desirable option, first and and foremost, because it’s a one-game playoff. Though it’s likely the Jays could win this one should they need to, they’d be in a bit of a bind for the division series: First, they would play the eventual A.L. Champions, the Kansas City Royals. Second, and more importantly, ace David Price would need to pitch the wild card, and thus would not be available to pitch until the fourth game of the division series. This could seriously hurt the Jays chances of moving on the League final.
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